Giveaway: “The Elephant’s Journey” by Nicoletta Ceccoli

Posted on Feb 7, 2011

It’s only been a little more than a week since the last contest, and we hope the winner enjoys her new Trevor Brown print, the Creep Machine and is starting another print contest. Once again Virtu Art Gallery has kindly donated the print, this time it’s Nicoletta Ceccoli’s “The Elephant’s Journey”. This contest will last a bit longer than the last one, three weeks to be exact. So what do you need to do this time to win the print? Just post in the comments section below the name of your favorite children’s book, and why you love it. Only one entry per person, and you also need to fulfill both parts (name of book, why you love it).
You have until Sunday, February 28th at Midnight PST to get those comments in. Good Luck.
CONTEST NOW CLOSED, The WINNER IS Jessica, with her choice of the Velveteen Rabbit.

Josh is the creator and administrator of the Creep Machine. He started the website in 2007 while attending college for a degree in Art History. Along with studying the Renaissance, Baroque, and Sublime periods, he was also very interested in contemporary art. The dark, beautiful, and grotesque has inspired him, along with figurative, street art, photography, and pop culture driven art. When he is not researching art, he can be found working on his own artistic endeavors, curating an art show, or creating electronic music.

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38 Comments

Ryan

Feb 7, 2011 at 5:15 am

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. This book is basically an art book for kids (and adults too I suppose) about finding creativity in anything. It teaches kids to see their mistakes not as something to shy away from or become frustrated over, but instead as an opportunity as a starting point for something completely new.

The way this is presented is what really makes this a great book though. The books is a bit interactive. Pages show examples of mistakes a child might make when trying to make art (a torn page, paint dripped, smudges) and then show how those mistakes can be turned into something wonderful. I’ve found as much inspiration in this book as my daughter and I’ve used it as the basis for art lessons at the school I teach at. Truly great!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. I love many others but this one I recently read. Actually I bought it for my young brother, but to get him in to this I read with him.

The pencil illustrations are breath taking, they tell the story with all the cultural – visual details, One of the main themes of the story is the cinema. The way it is illustrated is film-like, what adds to the complexity of the book as a medium.

I guess I’d go with Mark Ryden’s and Marion Peck’s Sweet Wishes, because in its own sarcastic and silly way teaches a lesson by showing how too much of a good thing can turn sour. Even when being straightforward the sweets allegory (they wish upon a fairy for loads of sweets and end up barfing) isn’t entirely lost on me cause I’m a complete sweet tooth and have been know on occasion to candy binge like crazy. Also gotta say its main characters remind me a great deal of my own childhood toys.

I used to love the “What-a-Mess” series by British comedy writer Frank Muir and illustrator Joseph Wright.

I reckon I mainly enjoyed the comical aspect and the fact that the star of the story, the dog, wreaked havoc everywhere he went – as a child, I could relate to that because I was so untidy and clumsy myself, and still am as an adult!

Aaron Cooke

Feb 7, 2011 at 6:52 am

This one’s easy. Favorite children’s book is “The Sneetches and other stories” by Dr. Seuss, because it teaches basically everything you need to know to live a good life. The Sneetches shows that no matter what people look like on the outside we’re all the same inside. The Zax shows the perils of stubbornness and that we all need to compromise to get anywhere. What was I scared of teaches us not to be scared of something just because we don’t understand it. And the one about mrs. mccave naming all 23 of her sons Dave is just an amusing bit of rhyming. :)

My favorite children’s book is Chris Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. This beautiful book is a collection of haunting and highly imaginative illustrations, accompanied by cryptic titles.

Each time I browse this book, I discover yet another detail that I haven’t noticed before. So even though it doesn’t include a lot of text, the book is completely absorbing for children and adults alike.

This is an awesome giveaway! I love this print! I recently found a book that I love, mainly because of the artwork.
it’s by Neil Gaiman and it’s called The Dangerous Alphabet.
Artwork is by Gris Grimly who I’m seriously considering naming my next kid after…I mean Gris? I love it.

DJROB

Feb 7, 2011 at 10:33 am

“Chocolate Fever” by Robert Kimmel Smith

This is my favorite children’s book. I remember reading this book in elementary and wanting to brake out in a Chocolate fever. Because as a kid my love for chocolate is still strong today as it was then. Lucky Henry.

Alex

Feb 7, 2011 at 10:43 am

It may be cliche at this point but my favorite book was “Where the wild things are” by Maurice Sendak. I was not the best behaved child and my mom would always say I was as rambunctious as Max. I remember reading this book at nights under my covers with a flashlight. I dont know how, but the copy I still have was from some library that was never returned. Is that wrong?

Hollow

Feb 7, 2011 at 2:42 pm

“Horton Hears a Who!” by Dr. Seuss

Or anything by Dr. Seuss for that matter. I was always caught up in the characters, illustrations, and how he wrote, but I didn’t really comprehend the morals of the stories til later in life, and Horton is one of the most admirable characters. And I was obsessed with elephants growing up, I had elephant everything, bedding, bookends, posters, Zoobooks about elephants, stupid little hats with big ears, watched Dumbo every day, obsessed! Probably another reason I really want this print, a Nicoletta Ceccoli print with an elephant in it, fuck ya!

Anna Diaz

Feb 7, 2011 at 3:53 pm

“Frog and Toad Are Friends” by Arnold Lobel

This book taught me at an early age to appreciate friendships and the differences that each person has. The adventures of Frog and Toad were about spending time and making great memories full of laughter and fun. As an only child, Frog and Toad taught me that friends are people who will stay with you through the good and the bad, and will last a lifetime.

The wonderful adventures that Frog and Toad go through are one of the many reasons that I love sharing and reading this book with my nieces and nephews.

Chelsey Sierra

Feb 7, 2011 at 9:59 pm

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

My mom owned this book, and when I was a child I’d pick it out of her stack to read it on her bed. At first, I really didn’t get it, and granted, when I first started doing this, I could barely read it, but now whenever I go over my mom’s house I see that book and think of the pleasant memories I had as a child. It also might have influenced my hatred for overly greedy people.

john mawdsley

Dan Armand

Feb 8, 2011 at 8:48 am

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein.

I was always captivated by Shel’s illustrations, and even as a young kid, used to re draw them. I even remember drawing some of them on little love letters to would-be girlfriends.. And it worked! The poems, while beautiful and thought provoking, didn’t make as much sense to me then as they do now. Thats a good thing because I can appreciate it even more today than I did back then. I can’t say that about most of the other books I enjoyed as a youngster.

I loved this book for many reasons. I loved the story of the woman’s passion for what she loved (making dumplings). And her strange journey underground where she was captured by Oni and enslaved. But most of all, I loved her daring escape. I must have read it a hundred times as a kid.

Mark

Feb 9, 2011 at 3:08 pm

“The Wump World” by Bill Peet

I remember the illustrations from when I was a child, the Wumps happily living in their world and then the machines coming in and destroying it. Love the monsterish qualities given to the machines. The images and story have stuck with me all my life.

Larry

odiojoe

Feb 11, 2011 at 7:07 am

My favorite book was The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. My imagination went crazy when I first read this book, there were so many characters and I used to read and draw out each character. This book is responsible for my love of art and my love for reading so it will be my favorite.

Jennifer

Feb 11, 2011 at 3:19 pm

“Corduroy” by Don Freeman

I really don’t remember any other books beside this one and Thumbelina being read to me as a child. My mom wasn’t around much when I was a child and I remember reading this book and wanting to run away to that store to be with Corduroy to go on adventures and to have him as my friend.

My favorite childhood book would have to be Aesop’s Fables. The edition I had was so magical to me. It had sepia pages, scroll work, and incredible imagery. I would flip through it every night for over an hour just dreaming. Oh what I would give to own it today. It was bought at a yard sale in the late 70s. I lost it in a flood. I would love to find that exact edition.

By Far it is FLAT STANLEY. My mom read it to me over and over…it’s one of my clearest childhood memories. I saw nothing fantastical about becoming flat enough to be mailed away to anywhere you’d want to go. For real. I think I thought that eventually I’d be able to do it.
I think of childhood and not one other single book comes to mind. Love it!

I recently found out that I’ll be having my first child so, if nothing else, this contest is great for finding new book suggestions.

My favorite childrens book is also one of of my favorite books all around books of all time: “The Little Prince” (aka: Le Petit Prince) by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, because it beautifully addresses everything that anyone would ever need to know about the human condition and everything that one should never forget.

Translated Quote: “One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

I can’t remember the name of my favorite children’s book, that tells you alot about me, that I was the kid that just looks at the pictures I guess HAHA, it was about this little boy with big glasses and I remember numbers and maybe the alphabet came to life, like they where creatures made from numbers with faces, hands, ect. I remember the pictures really took my imagination to new heights , if anyone thinks they might know the name of the book please let me know because it has been driving me nutts for some time now, thx for the generous prize for the contest:)

Alex

I loved the book Bunnicula growing up because I had the book and I had an audio recording, so I could read along and the person who read it on the tape’s voice really painted a picture of this vampire bunny and his adventures. Plus, the idea of a rabbit that’s a vampire (even though we never know if he was or not), was funny to me. Plus, I loved the cover with the red-eyed bunny and those fangs.

marnie

Feb 15, 2011 at 7:10 am

At the moment it is The Faraway Tree. I remember loving these adventures as a child but I am discovering them all over again reading them to my son each night. The books are full of different crazy worlds and characters. I just love how the worlds just come and and go up that ladder, through the clouds and at the top of a tree.

Chris

tory

Feb 21, 2011 at 6:15 am

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (cool name!).Ferdinand is a gentle bull who loves to sit under the cork tree and smell the flowers. The bull fight wants the most fearsome and ferocious bull so they go in search. Ferdinand gets stung by a bee and snorts and prances around and is picked as the most fearsome bull. Once in the ring he simply sits on his rump and smells the flowers worn by the beautiful ladies. The bright red cover with the ink illustration of Ferdinand always stuck in my mind and it takes me right back to when I was little. I was lucky enough to find a copy in an op shop. I hate bullfights but I love Ferdinand.

Cherokeemist

Feb 21, 2011 at 6:37 pm

Wow people are actually posting? So it take a contest to get people to wake up out of their graves lol?

John Varley – Millenium Favorite Sci-Fi author. Has a ton of books out. He’s like no other, his imagination is amazing. Book is about humanity’s future to the point where they can no longer reproduce properly. They go back in time and save people from crashed airplanes to bring to the future so they can continue on as a race.

Simon Gordon

Feb 22, 2011 at 3:28 am

I have read ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle hundred’s of times to my three children, aged from 11 months to 14 years, and each time we find something new outside and inside. Whether its the informative and witty writing style, imaginative illustrations or just the holes (which are great for little fingers), it makes bed-time a dream for both child and parent. Simon

Rima

Feb 22, 2011 at 4:41 am

Erich KÃ¤stner’s “The 35th of May”. It’s full of imaginative creations sure to fill the mind of a child with ideas, and a good bit of satire for the adult reader. This book is a big part of why I’m into science fiction and fantasy today.

I’m very happy with the possibility of winning this Nicoletta Ceccoli’s ’cause she’s one of my fave artists. Thank you VIRTU and Nicoletta for this giveaway!
My favorite childrenâ€™s book is the pop-up “Crocodile” by Mick Inkpen. The magic of this pop-up book is a provocative experience – I bought this one and plus 4 of his tiny books at once (in 1997). The interactive work done on paper automatically reminded me of my childhood, when I used to cut out and play with paper dolls. “Crocodile” please me ever since and I never left him in peace: every visitor who came to my house received the book to read, and I could see the joy and interest springing from their eyes. This magical attempt always worked very well with children and adults, and “Crocodile” certainly helped me to give people a moment near the creativity. That’s why I love it!

Chris

Feb 25, 2011 at 10:02 pm

My favorite book as a young child was A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats; such a wonder-filled and peaceful story and beautifully conveyed on the pages. I revisited it a couple of years ago, and it is just as magical today as it was so very many years ago. Recommended to all.

Jessica

Feb 26, 2011 at 9:20 am

My favorite book as a child was The Velveteen Rabbit. It’s about a boy who gets scarlet fever and has to burn all of his toys, including his favorite velveteen rabbit. But then the velveteen rabbit turns into a real rabbit and gets to run away with other rabbit friends. It’s totally bittersweet and sad, and I always wondered why it made my Mom cry when she read it.

“Hermans sommar” by Stian Hole. It’s a very existential affair, the summer before going to school the first time. One becomes aware of concepts like ageing, the past and abandonement. Often this is not communicated through kids books, but this is a shiny and excellent exception. The pictures are unnerving and beautiful art. Should be read by adults and children equally.